Christ Is Risen! The Eastern Orthodox Celebration of Pascha

Easter (or “Pascha,” the Greek word for “Passover”) has yet to come for the Orthodox Church. While many Christians celebrated on March 31, a full five weeks separate the celebrations this year—Pascha takes place this Sunday, May 5. Let’s take a brief look at not only the history behind these differences, but also the manner in which Eastern Christians celebrate the Lord’s resurrection.

The dating of Easter has always been a complicated issue, going all the way back to the second century. At that time, the main divide was between those who celebrated on precisely the 14th day of Nisan (the Jewish Passover) and those who celebrated on the Sunday following the 14th of Nisan. This variance came to a head at the first Council of Nicaea (AD 325), when that assembly of bishops decided to regulate the celebration to always occur on a Sunday, or what had come to be called “the Day of the Lord” (Rev. 1:10).

A 19-year cycle of celestial calculations was developed, and this cycle, connected with the Julian calendar, has remained in use in the East. An 84-year cycle came to be used in the Western half of the empire, and so the first discrepancy (since the first Council of Nicaea) began to occur. With the assistance of the best astronomers and scientists of the time, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar in 1582 in order to improve its accuracy. A reform of the Western lunar calendar—connected with the dating of Easter—also occurred.

Over the course of several centuries, many countries adopted this “Gregorian Calendar,” with the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a result, there can be anywhere from a one- to a five-week discrepancy between the Eastern and Western celebrations of Easter. They can also occur on the same day, and next year (2014), the celebrations for both East and West will coincide on April 20.

Even when we celebrate on different dates, the focus is much the same. Like that of Western Christians, the Orthodox celebration of Pascha is focused on the triumph of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ over death itself, freeing us from the bondage of sin and restoring our ability to have a relationship with God. The great Paschal hymn refrains: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”

Preceded by a week of daily services called Holy Week, traditional Orthodox celebrations of Pascha begin late in the evening on Holy Saturday, and conclude at early dawn on Sunday. The midnight vigil is often followed by an Agape feast, in which parishioners share delicious foods with one another, including roasted lamb, cheeses, assorted fruits, homemade baked goods, and Pascha eggs dyed a shade of deep red.

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Comments

Most historians, including Biblical scholars, agree that Easter was originally a pagan festival. According to the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary says: “The word Easter is of Saxon origin, Eastra, the goddess of spring, in whose honour sacrifices were offered about Passover time each year. By the eighth century Anglo–Saxons had adopted the name to designate the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.” – See more at: http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/ancient-pagan-origins-easter-001571#sthash.e005PI0L.dpuf
Do we really need any controversy? If the world has a strong legitimate claim on this unnecessary word, definition and tradition, then why do we fight to retain it? Jesus tell us in Revelation to come out of her ( mystery Babylon)

Easter doesn’t have to be done away with. It needs to be reformed. Remove all the pagan symbolism. Have the date coincide with Jewish Passover week and rightly re- brand Easter as “Resurrection Sunday.” There are some Baptist Churches that do this already. Judaism has family activities that are similar to some of our existing traditions. But I’m just speaking my mind. I know I do not have the $ and authority to make these crucial changes.